In short: A complete US import quote covers ocean freight, the ISF (10+2) filing, the customs entry and bond, estimated duty and tariffs, the Merchandise Processing Fee and Harbor Maintenance Fee, terminal charges and drayage to the door. Worked example below.
A freight quote to the US has the same skeleton as one anywhere else: freight, destination charges, customs, duty and delivery. What catches importers out is the paperwork that has to happen before the box is loaded, and the government fees that are calculated on the goods' value rather than the freight. A complete US quote names each one, says which figures are estimates, and asks for what's missing in the first reply. This article goes through each line, with a worked example into Los Angeles.
Name the port of discharge and the routing. A consignee in Chicago can be served by rail from the West Coast or by truck or rail from the East Coast, and the inland leg changes the total more than the ocean rate does. State the transit time, whether the rate is all-in or has surcharges listed separately, and how long it's valid. Our list of ocean freight surcharges covers the ones carriers add.
The Incoterm sets where your quote starts. FOB means you start at the origin port; EXW means you also price pickup, export clearance and origin charges. If the request doesn't say, ask. See Incoterms 2020 for forwarders.
For ocean shipments the Importer Security Filing is due no later than 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel at the foreign port. The importer or its authorized agent, usually the customs broker, files 10 data elements; the carrier supplies the other two. CBP can claim liquidated damages of $5,000 per violation for a late, inaccurate or incomplete filing (GHY, US Importer Security Filing).
Put the ISF fee on its own line, and in your first reply ask for what you need to file it: seller, buyer, manufacturer, ship-to party, country of origin, HTS numbers, and the consolidator and stuffing location. A quote that leaves the ISF out looks cheaper and causes the most expensive problem.
Show the entry fee and what it covers (usually a set number of HTS lines, with a per-line charge above that). Every formal entry needs a customs bond. A continuous bond is generally the greater of $50,000 or 10% of the duties, taxes and fees paid in the previous 12 months; a single-entry bond is generally not less than the entered value plus duties, taxes and fees, and three times the value for goods under other agencies' requirements (globaletrade.services, CBP bond limits). Ask whether the importer already has a continuous bond; if not, quote the single-entry bond as a line.
Duty depends on the HTS classification, the country of origin and the value. On top of the normal rate, many goods carry additional tariffs that have changed often, so give an estimate, state the HTS number, origin and rates you assumed, and say the final figure is confirmed on entry. If the importer gives you a commercial invoice and product description, your estimate gets much closer.
Two fees are calculated on the value of the goods, not the freight, which surprises first-time importers:
Show both as estimates beside the duty, because they move with the invoice value.
List the destination charges one by one: terminal handling or pier pass charges where they apply, the delivery order, and for LCL the CFS devanning and handling. Then quote drayage from the terminal to the consignee's ZIP code: the chassis (often billed per day), the fuel surcharge, the free time for live unloading or a drop, and the empty return. Say which of these are estimates, because chassis days and waiting time depend on the terminal. Our drayage quote checklist lists every extra worth naming.
1 x 40HC, FOB Ningbo to Los Angeles, delivery to Ontario, CA 91761, two HTS lines, importer has a continuous bond. Freight, local and trucking figures are example rates.
Ocean freight FOB Ningbo - Los Angeles, 1 x 40HC ...... USD 2,150.00
ISF filing (example) .................................. USD 45.00
Customs entry, up to 3 HTS lines (example) ............ USD 125.00
Destination terminal / delivery order (example) ....... USD 185.00
Drayage LA - Ontario CA 91761, incl. 2 chassis days ... USD 650.00
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Duty + additional tariffs: estimated on the HTS lines and
origin supplied; confirmed on entry.
MPF: 0.3464% of entered value (min USD 34.58, max USD 670.86).
HMF: 0.125% of cargo value.
Bond: continuous bond on file (else single-entry bond, priced
on value + duties, taxes and fees).
Possible extras, only if they arise: CBP exam, extra chassis
days, waiting time, storage past free time, extra HTS lines.
The structure carries across; the government lines change. See what a complete import quote to the UK includes for CDS and import VAT, or Singapore for GST and the permit side. Into Canada? See what a complete Canadian import quote includes.
Laneworks drafts import quotes from your own rate sheet: it lists the ISF, entry, bond, MPF and HMF lines, asks for the HTS and bond details that are missing, and shows the rate row behind every number. See a sample draft, or forward a real quote request to try@getlaneworks.com and a draft comes back in about two minutes.
Forward a quote requestDrafting these by hand? See Freight quote software for US and Canadian forwarders: forward a request and get the priced reply back in about two minutes.